Pap smear cost in California

In California, 92 hospitals publish a cash price for Pap test (liquid-based, automated screening with review): from $9.44 to $132.30, with a median of $82.00. The lowest price is at Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center (Glendale). The highest price is 14.0× the lowest.

• The median here, $82.00, is about the same as the US median of $83.00.
• That is 3.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($26.61).
• California ranks 24th of 48 states by median, cheapest first.
• 27 of 92 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 88175. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map